TO PERCEIVE, DIAGNOSE, AND SOLVE PROBLEMS…
133.KNOW HOW TO PERCEIVE PROBLEMS EFFECTIVELY
134.Keep in mind the 5-Step Process explained in Part 2.
135.Recognize that perceiving problems is the first essential step toward great management.
As in nature, if you can’t see what’s happening around you, you will deteriorate and eventually die off. People who can 1) perceive problems, 2) decide what to do about them, and 3) get these things done can be great managers.
136.Understand that problems are the fuel for improvement.
Problems are like wood thrown into a locomotive engine, because burning them up—i.e., inventing and implementing solutions—propels us forward. Problems are typically manifestations of root causes, so they provide clues for getting better. Most of the movement toward excellence comes from eliminating problems by getting at their root causes and making the changes that pay off repeatedly in the future. So finding problems should get you excited because you have found an opportunity to get better.
137.You need to be able to perceive if things are above the bar (i.e., good enough) or below the bar (i.e., not good enough), and you need to make sure your people can as well.
That requires the ability to synthesize.
138.Don’t tolerate badness.
Too often I observe people who observe badness and tolerate it. Sometimes it is because they don’t have the courage to make the needed changes, and sometimes it is because they don’t know how to fix it. Both are very bad. If they’re stuck, they need to seek the advice of believable people to make the needed changes, and if that doesn’t work, they need to escalate.
139.“Taste the soup.”
A good restaurateur constantly tastes the food that is coming out of his kitchen and judges it against his vision of what is excellent. A good manager needs to do the same.
140.Have as many eyes looking for problems as possible.
Encourage people to bring problems to you and look into them carefully. If everyone in your area feels responsible for the well-being of that area and feels comfortable speaking up about problems, your risks of overlooking them will be much less than if you are the only one doing this. This will help you perceive problems, gain the best ideas, and keep you and your people in synch.
140A. “Pop the cork.” It’s your responsibility to make sure that communications from your people are flowing freely.
140B. Hold people accountable for raising their complaints.
Ask yourself: 1) Does someone think there’s something wrong? 2) Did this lead to a proper discussion? and 3) If they felt raising the issue didn’t lead to the proper response, did they escalate it? That’s how it should be.
140C. The leader must encourage disagreement and be either impartial or open-minded.
140D. The people closest to certain jobs probably know them best, or at least have perspectives you need to understand, so those people are essential for creating improvement.